Potrykus and Carr at top speed at inaugural Flat ‘N Fast 5K
Inverclyde Athletic Club’s Ben Potrykus and Edinburgh University’s Niamh Carr made history at West Lothian Cycle Circuit in Linlithgow, becoming the first winners of the Flat ‘N Fast 5K.
Over 160 athletes took the gun, with 91 personal bests and 118 season’s bests being recorded at Stride Athletics’ inaugural race. Runners were required to complete five full laps, ending with a 200-metre sprint to the finish line.
Carr, also a member of Ballymena & Antrim AC, set a new personal best over the distance, finishing in a time of 17min 08sec.
The Irish athlete – who won the Monument Mile last year – had not competed over 5km since November 2020 at the Sri Chinmoy Invitational 5K in Fife, when she ran 17:51.
Despite the move up in distance, Carr used her speed to break from the rest of her competitors to claim top spot on the podium.
“I normally do a lot of shorter races, so I was very conscious of not going out too fast and just then working off people."
“I didn’t know who was in the race so I knew if I was there with a kilometre to go I can pick it up a bit so knew I could manage it."
“The course was so good and it was great to have so many spectators around.”
In the same heat, Edinburgh AC’s Rose Penfold claimed second in a time of 17:20, one second ahead of Central AC’s Jennifer Wetton, who ran in the following heat.
Cambuslang Harriers’ Eve Mackinnon and Kirstin Maxwell of Corstorphine completed the top five.
With the sun set, Potrykus took the men’s title following a four-way battle for the top prize.
Corstorphine’s Tom Martyn went with the pace of the Inverclyde runner with a lap to go, opening a gap of a few seconds to Livingston’s Andrew McGill and Ross Good of Giffnock North.
Martyn went early, taking the lead into the hairpin, but the speed of Potrykus saw him regain first place.
Despite lightning finishes from McGill and Good who chased him down into the straight, Potrykus crossed the line in 14:31, one second in front of McGill and Good, who completed the podium. Martyn agonisingly missed the podium in fourth in a time of 14:33; and Mike Christoforou of Cambuslang was fifth.
The winner, who finished 10th at the British Athletics Championships over 5,000m earlier this year, admitted it was a close call.
“That was an honest hard race” said Potrykus.
“I got around the bend and thought to use the speed and I knew they were coming with 50 metres out from the line, but I held my form and I’m happy."
“The course had a lot of bends in there that makes it quite technical, but that’s good because it gives it a proper racing element.”
Eight athletes ran under 15 minutes, 38 under 16 minutes, 65 under 17 minutes and 90 under 18 minutes.
Stride Athletics is a media and race event organisation based in Scotland.